[Source](https://thenationalpulse.com/2025/08/15/florida-launches-deportation-depot-at-closed-prison-following-alligator-alcatraz-opening/) > Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has revealed plans for a new immigration detention center, “Deportation Depot,” at the shuttered Baker Correctional Institution in Sanderson, Florida. The facility, located about 43 miles west of Jacksonville, will initially house 1,300 beds with capacity to expand to 2,000. This move builds on the state’s existing efforts to enforce federal immigration laws by establishing facilities such as “Alligator Alcatraz,” which President Donald J. Trump inspected in person earlier this year. > “There’s a massive part here at Baker Correctional that’s vacant and isn’t being used for any state correction activity,” DeSantis stated during a press briefing. He emphasized the cost-effectiveness of repurposing the dormant prison, estimating a $6 million build-out cost compared to the hundreds of millions spent on facilities in southern Florida’s Everglades. The site is expected to be operational within two to three weeks and will be staffed by the Florida National Guard and state contractors. > The new facility comes amid efforts to deport tens of thousands of illegal immigrants in Florida with final orders of removal. DeSantis highlighted the state’s collaboration with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) through the 287(g) program, allowing state and local law enforcement to assist in immigration enforcement. “We have done more on this than any other state by a country mile,” he remarked.